The best festivals for solo travellers

Heading to a festival alone is the new frontier for solo travellers. Whether you’re seeking live music, food, arts, books or ideas, here’s our round-up of the friendliest and most rewarding cultural festivals to attend by yourself.

Best for: Slickly curated indie-rock sounds and an up-for-it crowd

Impeccably organised by the tastemaking online magazine, this three-stage festival in Union Park is small enough for revellers to catch big-name acts such as HAIM while stumbling upon up-and-coming artists. Friendly, fun-loving Chicago makes a particularly welcoming and laid-back base for this massively influential festival.

Where to stay solo:

The Hoxton is perfectly placed a 15-minute walk from Union Park, in the creative neighbourhood of Fulton Market.

Insider tip:

Arrive early on the Friday to snap up rare vinyl finds at the Chicago Independent Radio Project Record Fair… and pick up tips for catching new bands.

Best for: Hot headline acts at a smoothly run Scandi-city festival

This impressively well-organised music-and-arts event in the Finnish capital commandeers a huge former power plant and draws big-name acts such as The Cure and Erykah Badu. The quirky location lends Flow the escapist vibe of a destination festival – but you can retreat to the comfort of a city hotel when the curtain falls, making it a hassle-free and safe option for solo revellers.

Where to stay solo:

Friendly Hotel Anna puts you right in the heart of the Design District and is an easy 40-minute walk from the festival site.

Insider tip:

Helsinki is a thoroughly bike-friendly city, with most hotels offering bike rental. Plus, Flow has free bike parking at the entrance.

Best for: Bragging rights to the literary, comedy and musical big hitters of the future

With such an exhaustive programme, this month-long, city-wide event really rewards culture-craving solo travellers, purely because you can pack in so much. And, as a bonus, it’s far easier to get single tickets for last-minute hit shows as a lone wolf.

Where to stay solo:

Well-located single university rooms are a brilliant bet for solo travellers.

Insider tip:

Aim to book around a third of your shows at The Edinburgh Fringe in advance, and freewheel for the rest, picking up hot-ticket recommendations from locals and festival-goers.

Best for: Big-name bands in a serene setting

Imagine catching big-name European and international acts, such as Sia, Thom Yorke and The Cure, in a refined Japanese mountain setting, and you have Fuji Rock. Safe and impeccably organised, this event really does combine the best of both worlds – though it’s no longer anywhere near Mount Fuji, rather in ski destination Naeba.

Where to stay solo:

The on-site camping grounds are safe and quiet, but for a real refuge, stay at Kaikake Onsen, a traditional ryokan-style spa hotel just a 10-minute taxi ride away.

Insider tip:

Don’t miss the Thursday night pre-party, with surprise acts, fireworks and a bon-odori dance ahead of the official Friday kick-off.

Best for: Hedonistic hippies minus the hassle of a huge festival

Perhaps more than any other UK festival, Shambala is the heir to Glastonbury’s crown, a fiercely liberated, sustainable and inclusive festival where everyone expects to leave with a string of new friends. The impressive daytime roster of talks and workshops at the Imaginarium makes it particularly great for solo festival-goers, because it’s a great way to meet new people and will mean there are no idle moments.

Where to stay solo:

If you don’t want to cart down your own one-man tent, Vintents will pre-pitch you a retro family-size one.

Insider tip:

Shambala has partnered with Red Fox Cycling to offer guided bike rides to the festival. You’ll roll up with some brand new friends.

Best for: Ideas and inspiration among fellow cinephiles

The UK isn’t short of brilliant film celebrations, but Sheffield Documentary Festival deserves a special mention for completely transforming this friendly university town for one long weekend in June with a programme of screenings, live music and art installations. The whole town will come alive with international attendees, and solo film buffs will immediately find themselves in lively debate in any café or restaurant or bar they stumble into.

Where to stay solo:

The cool-crowd hotel is The Leopold, which is laudably attentive to the security of lone female guests.

Insider tip:

Get maximum bang for your buck by attending the daytime talks, masterclasses and panels by world-class filmmakers and critics.

Best for: Unparalled variety for those seeking genuine culture

Austin is a year-round destination for culture lovers, with a rich musical and artistic heritage. But during SXSW, some 2,000 bands arrive and this blisteringly alternative Texan city becomes one big party town. Which makes it easier than usual for solo travellers to feast on music, art, theatre and film – and wind up dancing in a dive bar until 3am with some brand new friends.

Where to stay solo:

The lovingly poshed-up motel Hotel San Jose is a hip hangout where bands, artists and an international, culture-seeking set sip cocktails by the pool.

Insider tip:

Feeling a little jaded? Grab one of the hotel’s rentable bikes and cycle to Barton Springs outdoor pool in Zilker Park. Guaranteed to blow the cobwebs away.

Best for: Culture and quirkiness within the pristine wilderness of the Yukon

For more than four decades, this tiny, remote riverside town in Canada’s Yukon territory wilderness has been attracting a well-curated roster of emerging artists from around the globe – and a seriously hip audience of music obsessives from Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and beyond. It’s one of the quirkiest and most unforgettable destination festivals on the planet.

Where to stay solo:

The gloriously quirky Aurora Inn is a particularly friendly spot for solo travellers, with a breakfast that will keep you going through a day of dancing.

Insider tip:

This former Gold Rush town now possesses a fiercely alternative spirit, so check out the notice boards at Alchemy Café to find out about yoga classes, gong baths and the local vegan scene.

Best for: Uniting healthy hedonists in a Utopian setting

Soul Circus bills itself as a yoga-and-wellbeing festival, but with after-dark headliners such as Goldie and Norman Jay, there’s no compromise on the night-time revelry. Nevertheless, the emphasis on daytime health programming makes this a safe, welcoming and friendly environment, where a solo traveller will wind up making new friends.

Best for: Books, booze, bands and brilliant talks

In recent years this well-loved Cornish literary festival has broadened to include a shrewd edit of the best in music, food and fashion. It might be hidden away on the remote estate of St Germans, but this makes it all the more friendly and safe. A brilliant entry-level festival for solo travellers.

Where to stay solo:

The glamping yurts by Hearthworks offer an extra layer of comfort and security, and feel as if you’re staying in a tented mansion for one.

Insider tip:

Wander down along the estuary to the Black Cow Saloon for good, old-fashioned rock’n’roll bands and a friendly, up-for-it crowd.

Lake Of Stars, Kachere Kastle, Malawi

Best for: Feel-good vibes and international acts in a lakeside castle setting

Over the past 15 years, this brilliant African festival has drawn some of the best international acts in the world, from Major Lazer and Foals to local legend Lazarus. Now in a brand new venue (but still on the idyllic shores of Lake Malawi) with a more boutique vibe, the festival is an even better proposition for solo travellers, who’ll find themselves immediately absorbed into the crowd of well-heeled locals. International NGO workers and jet-setting music lovers. Run by Brit Will Jameson, Lake of Stars is a true feel-good festival pumps a much-needed £800,000 into the local economy every year.

Where to stay solo:

Secure camping within the castle grounds is included in the ticket price.

Insider tip:

To really make a trip of it, join small-group adventure outfit Faraway on its 11-day Malawi odyssey culminating at Lake of Stars, complete with first-rate off-site beds.